I've Got You Devolving Under My Skin
by Librarian00X
Summary: Was it all just a dream? Or has the nightmare only just begun?
1. Nightmare

_**I've Got You Devolving Under My Skin**_

* * *

_War-fucking-ning!_

_The following fan fiction contains some __seriously__ fucked up shit that will screw up young minds for the rest of eternity! If you can't handle blood, guts, angst, and a seriously messed up combination of the three, DON'T YOU DARE KEEP READING! I don't want to have someone's trauma because of my work on my plate, so just do us all a favor and save yourself the trips to the counselor by NOT READING if you CAN'T HANDLE IT!_

_There. You've been warned. Now I can laugh at your plight with a clear conscience. Bwahahaha. Ah laffa choo, laka dees. XD_

* * *

Rin was unstoppable.

An extension of the shadows - a living part of the night itself. Unable to be caught, scarcely able to even be _seen. _Quick as a tiger, powerful as a rhino, strong-willed as a mule. Nothing could stop her. Nothing could touch her. Nothing could deter her from her hunt.

Gathering them had been preschooler's business - leap from building to building like an Olympic athlete, smash through a window or burst out of a vent, and slam them down against the floor or wall. The intent wasn't to kill, although she accomplished just that with one of her targets; Miku never even saw her coming. She was doing her hair when Rin leaped onto her, slammed her face against the mirror, and killed the tealette instantly. Not a scream, not a whimper…just life, the briefest of brief instants of surprise, and no more life. She never even got a chance to identify her assailant, or feel the blood explode out of her eyes from the glass shards that burst through her skull like bullets through tissue paper. She didn't even get to feel the pain.

This didn't comfort Rin in any way, however; the engine driving her hadn't even reached the first waypoint, and already her best friend's blood was on her hands. She _murdered _her. Miku Hatsune was dead; never to walk, never to smile, never to sing another song and captivate hundreds of eager fans, all mesmerized by the sound of her beautiful voice everyone and their brother wished they had. No more Miku Hatsune. No more teal-haired diva.

The world had been done a terrible blow…but perhaps no one would take the loss harder than the girl that had murdered her.

She was collecting them; gathering them like fruit, lining them up, preparing them like cattle for the slaughter. It was all part of a sick little game - pick her targets, bring them together, and execute them. It was all in her head…and she was horrified. She didn't want to do this, yet she had to. Literally, she _had _to; she couldn't stop if she tried, and believe her, she _was _trying. Every scream, every attempt to jerk away or stop in place, even an attempt to stop her legs so she could plummet off the building's roof she was about to jump off of to her death…no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop. All of the transmissions from her brain were being cut off at the source, like there was a physical barrier between her head and the neural receptors in her muscles. It was like something was blocking her orders to her limbs…like a wall. Or a fence.

Or another person.

She didn't know for sure, but there was definitely_ something_ dictating her that wasn't herself, and whatever it was, it was winning. She couldn't even _breathe _on her own - not only would it not let her, her mouth was no longer functional in the slightest. Her tongue wasn't even in her head anymore, having spilled out of her jaw and flopping uselessly down on her chest like a limb in need of amputation. It was like something had taken her head, reached under her chin, and torn her head nearly clean in half, splitting it up the middle all the way up to between her eyes, which were now angled as if they were always glaring, the once beautiful navy blue spheres in her head glazed over with inhumanity and the air of death, bulging necroticly out of her skull like a pair of ocean-blue billiard balls. The white ribbon in her once neat, tidy blond hair was askew, the "cute factor" of the accessory adding the horrible, terrifying air of her new grotesque appearance. Her hands were her decided weapons of choice, though not if she kept them level or bent them in under her arm: the meter-long scythes of metal-like bone would only slide out if she pulled her hands back, at which time the blades would extend to their full length out through the lower half of her palms, the sound of tearing meat enough to make Rin want to vomit…if she could control any part of her body, that is. She hadn't done a ton of unsheathing her weapons…_yet. _It was clear what she was doing here - gathering her prey all together so she could kill them all at once. This would be horrifying enough, even if the people she was gathering _weren't _her family and friends. Miku, Kaito, Meiko, Luka, Len…she even went for Gakupo, whom she'd had to go down to his dojo to find, assorting many a kind of training katana for his students that would be there by morning. At least he had time to put up a fight…not that it mattered in the end. The blunt side of one of her arm blades to his head was enough to put him down, and though he was easily twice her size and pure muscle, she didn't even have to strain herself to throw him over her shoulder like a towel, scale the wall of the building like a human-sized cockroach, and leap from rooftop to rooftop back to the abandoned warehouse she'd discovered to be the _perfect _place for their execution.

Rin was conscious and fully capable of seeing what she was doing, yet try as she may, she couldn't stop herself. She wasn't in control here - she was just a spectator. A prisoner in her own body. She was going to kill her own friends, and she couldn't even raise a finger to stop herself.

Rin wasn't sure what was more terrifying - the fact that she wasn't in control of her body, that she had been transformed into a hideously disfigured monster, that her friend Miku had been slain by her hand, or that she was preparing to butcher the people she'd come to know and love. Either way, Rin was terrified and scared out of her mind…intellectually, anyway.

On the outside, she was having the time of her life.

It didn't even take an hour to gather them all together - the pitch-black room was full of an assortment of a total of six bodies: a purple-haired samurai, a pink-haired mother-figure in medieval getup, an alcohol-loving brunette, a blue-haired ice cream lover, a yellow-haired twin, and the corpse of a teal-haired teen diva. Rin didn't even know why her body - that's what was doing things here; not her, but her physical self, and whatever was governing it - had brought it here; it was horrible to look at. The looks she got of her friend's face were…she couldn't un-see it, no matter how hard she tried to. She couldn't even tell there was a face there, with all the blood and shards of glass sticking out of it. Maybe it was just to add atmosphere to the grizzly scene this was about to become. Hell, maybe her body was just acting completely on orders - to bring the bodies, living or dead, to this place to kill them, whether they were already dead or not. Whatever it was - whatever she'd become - it wasn't particularly bright, all of its actions seeming to be based on instinct and impulse rather than sentient consideration and planning.

In the end, she didn't suppose it mattered what she was: a scheming murderer, or a bloodthirsty animal. Either way, her mind was a cesspool of terror, willing every ounce of her remaining being to gather up the strength to scream, though the noise never came. She wasn't in control here: _it _was.

With everyone present, the ex-Rin lurked over in the corner, hiding in the absolute darkness therein and away from the sliver of light streaming in from the boarded-up windows. Everything was in place; all she had to do was sit back, savor her strength, and wait.

And so, as angst and fear ravaged her mind, Rin Kagamine crouched down on her haunches, probed the darkness with her bulging, lifeless eyes, and waited for what felt like the longest period of time she'd ever waited in her young life.

Luka was the first to wake up; it was completely dark, and while she was all but blind minus the slivers of light shining in through the boarded windows and doorways, Rin could see every last movement the woman made - the blinks of her eyes, the turns of her head, the muscles of her face contorting her expression to one of horror from the grizzly sight of Miku illuminated by pale moonlight from outside…everything was as clear as the scream that coursed through her lips. It was funny, in a sick, twisted kind of way - of all the harmonious noises, melodic tones, and heavenly octaves she was capable of emanating, the only thing Luka could manage was an ill-composed, blood-curdling scream. It just went to show what fear can devolve a person's senses to…and how terrified the normally level-headed and composed woman had to be at such a sight.

As if a switch had been flipped, Gakupo was not only awake but on his feet, the sound of a sword being drawn slicing through the darkness almost as effectively as Luka's shriek of horror, ready to fight to the death…though the blow to his head was enough to render him dazed and unsteady on his feet. "What is it?" he demanded, movements visibly slowed (if they were visible to anyone but something capable of seeing in absolute black) by a considerable degree.

Before Gakupo could prepare the makeshift, painfully cheesy monologue he would normally give out to "woe" Luka, the woman abruptly threw her arms around him, squeezing him around the middle in a bone-crushing vice grip, unable to pry her eyes off the bloodied, mangled mess that had been Miku Hatsune dimly illuminated on the floor. Gakupo wasn't sure what he was more disturbed by - the condition of Miku, or the condition of Luka. Miku was dead…that was horrible. Indescribable. Devastating. And, Luka was broken - sobbing hysterically, shoulders wracking as gasping, frightened sobs passed through her lips. Never before had Luka Megurine been reduced to such a state of disarray and despair, let alone in such a short period of time. He'd seen her frightened, sure, but…nothing like this. It was appropriate, given the circumstances, but it was no less shocking to see the normally cool and composed Luka hug him out of fear and sob like a frightened child. Perhaps the combination of shock and disbelief of both sights was what kept his hopelessly romantic persona at bay, barely able to numbly place a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "…my god…"

As the rest of the Vocaloids woke up, stirred by the commotion, the reactions were no less striking and defined, or any better in general. Meiko came to next. She clumsily rose to her feet, holding her head, mumbling something about "damn cheap booze" before looking around, seeing only darkness all around her, head still spinning from…ow, man…was that the alcohol? Or did she hit her head? Finally she became aware of Luka's sobbing, demanding "What?" in a half-urgent half-grouchy manner. She was usually like this when she woke up in the morning, but apparently it worked when she woke up in general. She was sour and grouchy…at least, until she caught sight of Miku's dimly lit corpse, at which point her disposition was turned on its ass and she stumbled back in a daze, as if she'd been hit over the head a second time. Her lips moved, but no words came out, lungs suddenly unable to function. She couldn't believe what she was seeing…was it real? Seriously? Was that…Miku? And…if it was…was…she…?

Kaito came next, rising just as awkwardly, though not at all as grumpy as his brunette companion. Luka's audible panic and the sight of Meiko staggering back through a dusty stream of moonlight caused his brow to furrow, instantly fully concerned, filled with a sense of urgency as he looked over, following Meiko's gaze…

He didn't say anything; he didn't even try. Not only was there nothing to say, he was a little busy as he turned to the side, doubled over, and vomited onto the darkness-shrouded floor. At least he wouldn't have to look at it in the black cloak it was hidden by.

When _Len _woke up, however, the heart Rin thought was going to shatter in her chest like glass actually did - he shrieked _"No!"_ and, rather than puke or cry or fall back in a daze, he ran up to Miku's body, apparently unaware of the generous amounts of red still oozing out from the gaps around the sabers of mirror glass embedded in her head as he shook her frantically, feeling all over for some kind of sign of life. "No, Miku! Miku! Oh my god, no, I- wake up! Wake up, _please! _Don't do this! Wake up! Miku! _Miku!"_

"It's no good," Luka muttered in a hollow voice, still clinging to Gakupo for dear life. Normally, she wouldn't want to even be in the same room as him, but…that was before. Things were different now. She had no idea where she was, just woke up to find her…her friend…oh god. Luka felt another wave of hysteria creeping up on her… "Sh-she…she's gone…Miku's…g-god…

Len, however, wasn't so convinced, yelling and begging and trying everything he could think of to get his friend to wake up from what he was determined to prove was merely a state of unconsciousness. He'd even gone so far as to try performing CPR by the time Kaito placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, pulling him back lightly. "L-Len, she's right…Miku's gone."

Len shook his head frantically, sending the tears that had been pouring down his face flying through the air in the darkness. _"No! _She's not…she can't be! She can't be…can't…" He let out a choked sob as he fell back onto his rear, still shaking his head, unwilling to believe the truth right in front of him. "Sh…she can't be dead…she just can't. Wh…how are…we…I…"

And, like that, the boy's composure shattered, summoning a sobbing fit not unlike that of Luka's reaching out into the darkness in front of him to the first form he could find, which happened to be Meiko as she approached, about to offer some kind of solace. She let out a noise to show she wasn't expecting the sudden embrace, the hysterical sobs coming from the boy nearly surgically attached to her throwing her already stunned mind for a loop. If she knew what to say before, she sure as hell didn't now - what was there _to _say, anyhow? Words of wisdom had never been Meiko's strong point, but here, she had absolutely no idea what to say. She opened her mouth to say something _- anything, _even if it was wrong - but finally decided on putting a hand on his shoulder, the other coming about to rest on his head, stroking his blond locks with the air of a mother soothing a child. "Shh…I've got you, Len. It's alright…we'll get through this…"

"How?" Kaito asked suddenly, not even pausing to admire how much like Luka Meiko suddenly seemed - the pink-head was pulling herself away from Gakupo to observe such herself. "What do we do now?"

The questions - specifically, "What happened?", "Where are we?", and "What do we do?" - were obviously on everyone's mind, but no one spoke up or said a word immediately following the bluenette's inquiry, total silence - bar Len's sobbing - filling the room. It was a simple question, but baffling in itself: what _did _they do now? There didn't seem to be much of an option anywhere at this point; everything was so sudden, and the shock and hurricane of emotion from finding their friend dead had incapacitated what little capacity for planning the group might have had. From where they stood, it didn't look like there was anything they could do.

Len finally stopped in his sobbing, mostly because he ran out of tears than because he felt any better. Lifting his head off of Meiko's chest, he turned his head to probe the darkness with his tear-stung eyes, going over the forms and silhouettes of all present: Meiko, Kaito, Luka, Gakupo…Miku…hold on a minute. "Wh…where's Rin?"

Right on cue, Rin answered…in the form of a hissing, slightly phlegm-saturated snarl from the darkness on the other side of the room.

Rin didn't need to be able to see them as if it was day to know their reactions - she could _feel _the fear instantly spark in the room at the noise she had emitted, now rising up off her haunches to prepare whatever "she" was planning on doing next. She wanted to scream a million things right now, but none of it would have done any good - she wanted to tell them to run, but where could they run to? She wanted to tell them to get away, but where were they supposed to hide? She just wanted to scream in general, but that wasn't possible, either; she no longer had control of any part of her body, now only able to watch in horror through her red-tinted vision as her mutated, disfigured body crouched down, picked a target, and charged.

The logic behind the creature's attack was obvious - Gakupo was the most capable of the group, and he was the only one that was armed amongst them; if he was gone, the rest of the group would be easy pickings, their only able fighter out of the picture. That could, technically, prove that her body _did _have a level of intelligence to it, despite the fact that her mind was completely severed from the rest of her, and that what she'd become could have a low level of sentience, or perhaps just a higher level of predatory instinct.

Regardless of its actual intelligence level, none of this helped Gakupo in the slightest as, despite his blind swing of his katana at the blur of movement, he took the full force of about 100 pounds of predator to the stomach, letting out a harsh "oof!" as he was knocked off his feet, slamming into the ground. The shrieks of surprise and fear were muffled by the creature's gagging snarl, the halves of its decrepit face pulling aside to make a sort of makeshift pair of mandibles, snapping furiously in an effort to reach the man beneath it.

Caught off guard, Gakupo's sword went clattering off into the darkness as he hit the ground, suddenly on the defensive as he grabbed whatever had him and held it at bay, trying to keep its head away from his own - he didn't need to see very well to be able to hear the clacks and wet slobbering noises just inches away from his face, nor feel the globules of hot saliva splatter onto his skin and dampen his robe. The thing's movements were chaotic and unnatural, its strength was beyond that of any natural human, and the screams and commotion all around him made it a little hard to concentrate, but at this proximity, it was relatively easy to see the creature's face and make out its details, placing an eerie reminiscence of human to the clearly _in_human abomination pinning him down. When it moved into the light just right, his holding its head back into the stream of illuminated stream of air particles helping to move it there, he got a good, clear look at its features-

His heart skipped a beat, eyes widening in disbelief. Not only did this thing look human, it looked like a human he _knew; _the white hair ribbon, blond hair, blue eyes, the frail, feminine physique…he most definitely knew this person. And, to his horror, it was someone very close to his heart. "…Rin?"

Stunned by this realization, his hold on the ex-girl loosened ever so slightly, giving her - what she had become, anyway - the opportunity she (it?) needed. Her hands came about, slamming down onto the samurai's biceps, pinning them to the floor and forcing his hands back away from her head, releasing her from his frantic grip. The blades hadn't come out of her palms, as her hands hadn't pulled back enough, but that was alright - she didn't need her talons to finish the job. Letting out an enraged snarl, covering up the panicked noises the man emitted as he tried to yank his muscular arms up out of her hold and consuming her own efforts to shriek "No!", the ex-Rin pulled her mouth-parts as far to the side as she could, lowered herself to place Gakupo's face against the back of her exposed throat, and clamped down on his skull, jagged spokes of bone forming makeshift "teeth" digging into his flesh. Sound waves reverberated off of the walls of her stomach as Gakupo literally screamed in pain down her throat, his cries of agony reaching a whole new octave as the ex-Rin on top of him dug her teeth into the bone of his skull and, with the amplified muscles of her now powerful neck, began to pull up.

It wasn't a full two seconds that this went by before the purple-haired samurai's muffled screams were abruptly halted by a loud series of cracks emanating from the region of his neck, indicating the force exerting on said region was enough to shatter his vital airways, thus spelling his end. But the creature didn't stop there: it only continued to pull up, as if fueled by Gakupo's sudden silence, more and more wet, sickening cracks sounding off until, with a bone-jarring _pop, _the man's head came clean off, a fountain of red erupting through the jagged spoke of windpipe sticking out of the hole in his neck, his head sent flying through the air with the purple ponytail trailing behind it like a satanic, macabre comet.

At the wave of hot, crimson liquid that splashed onto her face, the creature couldn't be any more delighted, letting out a gagging roar of triumph at the life claimed by it in such a brutal manner. Rin, on the other hand, couldn't have screamed loud enough to fully express her angst, even if she _wasn't _a prisoner in her own Miku, now Gakupo…as if killing her best friend instantly wasn't bad enough, Gakupo had time to _hurt - _she could still feel the vibrations of his screams echoing off of the inside of her bowels just before she broke his neck…then tore it in two. She wanted to vomit - scream, vomit, yell, beg for forgiveness, throw herself off of one of the buildings she had been leaping across like some kind of superhero. She was no hero - heroes didn't get stuck in their skin and watch as they ran on brutal autopilot. Heroes didn't murder people like some kind of freak out of a horror movie. Heroes didn't tear their friends' heads off…

Dear god, what had she _done?_

Stunned, dazed stares were countered by horrified screams and tears pattering against the floor, a group of Vocaloids suddenly realizing that they hadn't lost one, but _two _friends. Len couldn't move - not only because he was paralyzed with fright, but because he'd heard the word Gakupo had emitted before his untimely demise: "Rin." _Rin. _His sister…the other half of his being. Was it possible? The creature _did _look like it had been a human before whatever happened to it happened, but…was it his sister that was doing this? Were they being attacked by the twisted, arcane remains of Rin Kagamine?

Said remains of said girl stood up to her full height - unimpressive in itself - and let out another roar, opening her arms wide as she charged once again, picking another target, this time going for the nearest person to her, which happened to be Kaito. Once more, Rin tried to scream, but nothing would come out of her throat but more gangly, wet snarls and gags from the beast currently soaked in the blood of the man she'd come to view as her own sensei. The death of her idol had been horrible enough…but she wasn't done yet.

Kaito screamed in terror as the beast vanished into the darkness along with the remaining Vocaloids in the room, scrambling backwards in hopes of escaping its reach, but to no avail. The creature ran right up to him, opened her arms up wide like she was going to hug him, then reached over his shoulders and jutted her blades out of its palms, yanking him in as he tried to get away. Opening the maws it'd already claimed one life with, the creature brought its gnarled, mangled mouth onto his neck, "teeth" digging into his flesh, hot blood seeping out of the wounds rapidly growing as her mandibles clumsily flailed about with him still in her grip. Kaito screamed again, this time in pain, feeling the hot fluids running down his shoulder, grabbing the thing's head and trying to yank it off, but it was simply too powerful - what hope did he have to beat it if even someone as strong and fit as Gakupo couldn't do so? All he could do was howl in agony, hang on tight, and wait for the end.

The end would come swiftly - finally, after much clumsy feeling and biting, the ex-Rin got a hold on the man's windpipe, the halves of her face fitting snugly around the airway and locking in place beneath the flesh of his neck. She shoved him back and held him by the inside of his throat until, in a swift motion, she tore the part out of him, sending him sprawling onto the ground as she flung the innards of his neck off into the rest of the room. The two of them - both Kaito and Rin - silently screamed until the bluenette simply ceased to live any longer, staring vacantly up at the ceiling in the oblivion above him with deep blue eyes that would never blink or focus on anything again. She was glad, at least, that he wouldn't live to feel her talons plunge into his chest like harpoons as she reared back her mangled head and howled like some kind of sick, twisted wolf at the moon.

Rin felt no such victory in what she'd done, scarcely able to even keep track of what it was she was wishing she could scream - she just wanted to scream. Scream, scream, scream…scream and never stop. That would be her punishment: screaming for the rest of eternity what it was she'd done with her own two hands.

Just like that, she had a new target: the pink-haired woman didn't even need to see to know she'd been targeted, judging by the way its gags and snarls were getting closer at a rapid, unavoidable rate. She supposed she ought to try to run away, but where? There was no escaping this thing's reach - no matter where she ran, especially in this room, it would always find her. So, rather than fruitlessly try to escape, she merely expelled all of the air in her lungs in a single, blood-curdling scream until a pair of meter-long knives in her belly cut her off, blood spurting out of her mouth as she continued to try and scream. Her efforts were about as successful as Rin's own attempts at doing such.

With strength incomparable to any normal human, Rin lifted Luka up into the air by the blades in her stomach, and with a snarl, ripped one of them out, replacing it in the spot beside it in her gut. More red spurted out of Luka's mouth, who only continued to try and scream, though it was obvious the gurgling noises she emitted couldn't really be considered such. As if delighted by her prey's agony - though inwardly completely flying apart with terror and disbelief - Rin stabbed her once more in the belly before ripping the other blade out, this time swiping them across her legs, the soft, delicate meat of her thighs parting beneath the murderous blades like…well, flesh before a scalpel. Not even the _bone _could take the amount of force being exerted upon it, both femur of the woman's legs snapping in two as the blade continued out to the other side, severing tendons and muscle like tissue paper before erupting out the other side, both legs completely severed and flopping to the ground, fountains of red bursting out through the severed arteries like streams of water through a fire hose. Rin repeated this process by slashing through the woman's bicep like it was made of butter, shedding Luka of her left arm as well, a waterfall of blood following after the spent limb as if hoping to somehow reconnect it to her torso.

Completely numbed by the pain and plummeted into the deepest depths of shock, Luka's eyes bulged, seeing colors in total reverse as if everything suddenly turned negative, face an inch away from the creature that glared down at her, holding her in the air by a single talon through her stomach. She couldn't feel her legs and arm anymore…she needed those. They were kind of important. Her mind sluggishly crawled from the blood loss, raising the only remaining hand she had as if to work out some kind of deal, mouth vainly working like a fish out of water. Her life was abruptly ended by a third slash and another body part flying free, though this time it was her head, pink hair trailing after the severed head as if unwilling to part with its owner just yet. As if fueled by both people's anguish, the creature roared just as ferociously as Rin wanted to scream, bringing the talon that just removed four out of five of Luka's limbs down through her torso's center, splitting the spine and cutting her body clean in half, red completely soaking her entire body by this point.

If Rin was able to do so in the first place, she wouldn't be able to breathe right about now. She couldn't believe this was happening…no, this _couldn't _be happening. She _couldn't _be doing this. This couldn't be real…not her friends, not…no…her mind wouldn't even grasp the horror anymore, her will to scream outweighing her natural impulse to draw air into her lungs. If she had her own body, she'd scream until her lungs folded inside-out and blew out through her mouth…but, she wouldn't be so lucky. She had to live through this to bear witness to what was, technically, her own doing.

Now the only remaining Vocaloid bar Len, Meiko's mouth closed, allowing a silence to fall over the room like a sheet of ice on a mountainside. She ought to be screaming, but honestly, she didn't see what good it was going to do. She knew she was going to die - subconsciously knew it from the very beginning - and, while it could be blamed on being drunk on fear, Meiko was able to think clearly enough - though just barely - to determine that she didn't want to be mindlessly blasting an incoherent noise as her final act in this little play. Still holding Len in a vice grip - the poor boy completely still and silent, staring off at the silhouette of the slowly nearing monster with the air of a corpse - Meiko placed a gentle little kiss on his head, gave him one last loving squeeze, then moved to place herself in front of him, shielding him from the creature's wrath for the next few moments. She couldn't save his life, but she could at least elongate it by a few more seconds. As small as it was, in her book, that was better than just screaming mindlessly. She accomplished something here tonight. She only wished she could do more.

As the creature stepped up, arms raised above its head, ready for the death blow, Meiko did the unthinkable (partly because her mind had simply stopped working by now) - she gathered up the remaining saliva in her mouth and spat it out at the creature, the wad of sickly fluid striking the creature's left "cheek" and oozing down its cheek. Perplexed, the creature in charge tilted its head, as though unsure what to make of this unexpected sensation. Mistaking this for shock at the gesture, Meiko grinned, raising a hand and giving the creature an age-old, arcane one-fingered gesture directly in front of the beast's face, smiling maliciously as though, in some way, she had won. _"Fuck. You."_

Still unsure of what to make of this, the ex-Rin stood by and stared blankly as the wad of wet saliva slid down its mangled cheek, befuddled by the limb being stuck in its face - her reaction was so _different _from the others! Apparently deciding that Meiko was giving it a place to begin its attack, it took up the offer by roaring a gag, raising an arm blade up into the air, and bringing it down onto the center of her forearm. Smug defiance turned to agony in a heartbeat; the silence was shattered by Meiko's shriek as indescribable pain tore through her being like a bolt of lightning, gripping what remained of her wounded limb as she staggered back, tripping over Len's legs - as he had fallen to his knees without something to support his weight - and fell to the floor.

The creature was on her in a second, and the slaughtering process began anew.

Through what had once been her eyes, Rin watched on in horror, completely helpless as, for the fifth time that night, she had been unable to do anything but watch as she moved at another's behest, slashing and tearing and stabbing her friend until she was but a mangled, unidentifiable wad of flesh and bone on the floor. She couldn't think anymore - her thought process had long since been rendered useless by the fear and agony that shredded her conscience like a chainsaw would a sheet of paper.

Even if she _could _do something other than absolutely nothing, Rin was completely blank - no thoughts, no wills for actions, nothing. Just…empty. Like her heart was rapidly becoming as she maimed what she had once thought to be her family. Luka, the mother-figure…always there to offer a comforting hug or hold her when she was upset, murmuring sweet nothings into her ear as she tried her best to soothe her. Kaito, the older brother-figure…he was like the brother she never had. Miku, her best friend…oh god, Miku…what did she do to deserve something like this? At the very least, she didn't feel any pain, but Rin didn't get any satisfaction out of this - dead was dead, painless or not. Gakupo…her sensei. Sensei Kamui. The strongest of all of them. Then Meiko…oh, Meiko. Always the hot-tempered spitfire, even at the very end. Rin wanted to reach up and feel the streak where the spit had slid down her face, savor it like she had been kissed there for the very first time; it was a fulfillment of her wish - Meiko _hated _her. Just like she deserved. She didn't deserve to be loved anymore - she was a murderer. A _monster. _She wasn't even worth the effort it took to spit at anymore. All of her loved ones were gone.

Not _all _of them, anyway…

"Eyes" widening in horror (if she could do so), Rin's fearful, insane ramblings and attempts to scream began anew as what had once been her turned to face the only other living being in the room:_ Len. _Oh no…no, not Len. _Please _not Len. The Kagamine twins were legendary for their epic bickering matches, capable of keeping a small part of the neighborhood awake at night with their incessant and virtually pointless arguments, and there were many a time that she had to restrain the urge to reach out and strangle him, but there was no denying she loved her brother. When they had more open, meaningful moments together - like when he was holding her when she had problems with boys, or when they were driving their road roller around and "terrorizing the town," or when he was laying down next to her when she had a nightmare and couldn't sleep - she viewed him as more than just a brother or sibling: she saw him as her double. Her other half - the part that made them one. That's what she saw them both as: two halves of the same whole. She took him for granted most of the time, and she didn't show her appreciation nearly as often as she should, but she still loved him. She loved him more than she loved herself - more than the rest of the world combined. She didn't deserve him, yet he was there even when no one else could be. He was her best friend, and her entire world. She couldn't even bear to see him hurt figuratively, let alone literally. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to him. Yet, lo and behold, she was about to wrong him in the worst possible way.

Rin Kagamine was about to murder her twin.

On a cognitive level, Rin was kicking and thrashing and screaming like a thing possessed, hoping that, at the very least, she could tear herself apart so horribly that she wouldn't have to live with knowing her brother's blood was on her hands. She couldn't fight, and she couldn't stop - Len was going to die, and it was going to be all her fault. This pained her more than the sight of the remains of her friends scattered across the ground. Len would be killed…and she would be his killer.

_This can't be happening._

She stood over her brother like a towering skyscraper, looking down between her mandibles to the blank face that stared back up at her, completely undone with remorse - no, no, _no! _She could _not _do this! This could _not _go down like this! Try as she may, however, she could do nothing to stop her arm from extending, the blade sliding back into her arm with a sickly smearing noise, or keep her hand from closing around the scruff of his shirt. She hefted him slowly and meticulously into the air, as though the slightest movement could break him - couldn't have that; that was _her _job, after all.

Even as he stared the remains of his sister in the face, barely an inch away from something worse than death - the mutilated flesh of his beloved sister - Len could do nothing to resist, or even show the fear racing through his veins like ice water. What was there to do? Kick, scream, call for help? None of it would do any good. He was going to die - he knew that by now. His sister was something horrible, he was about to die…and, the worst part was, he couldn't do anything to help her. Intellectually he knew that there was nothing to be done - this was something simply beyond him - he felt that it was his duty to always be there and help his sister when she was in trouble. Now, when she was in the most trouble of her entire life, Len could do nothing…and it hurt. Hurt more than any combination of flesh wounds that she could bestow on him. On some level, Len felt like he was failing as a twin - that his job as a good brother was being put to shame. Len was in peril, and all he could do was die. What kind of brother did that make him? Rin needed him, and he couldn't be any more helpless than right now. He had never felt like more of a failure than at this very instant.

Then, his face shifted, the moot expression fueled by shock weakly allowing the corners of his mouth to curl upwards into the faintest of smiles. It was faint, and it could just be from the fear, but Len thought he saw something in those inhuman eyes - a trace of familiarity. A little sparkle that no amount of mutation could take away. Either he was seeing things - a very real possibility, at this point - or his Rin was still in there. "Rin," he said weakly, praying to God that she could hear him and that his final words weren't in vain. "It…it's okay, Rin…I forgive you. I still love you. I'll always love you."

These words, clearly audible to Rin, absolutely broke her heart a thousand times over. Even after she had wronged him in the worst possible way, butchered his friends and loved ones right in front of him, even now about to kill him, Len still…he…loved…oh, _god, _Len. Did she realize what those words did to her? If it were under better circumstances, Rin would playfully and light-heartedly punch his shoulder, say he was being a drama queen, and embrace him anyway so they could share a little happy moment together, subtly implying that she, too, would always love him - she could never say so out loud. She was too proud to do that. Now, however, the only thing Rin wanted to be able to do was reach out, hold her brother, and never let go…or, even better: push him away, then throw herself out in front of a semi on the main road. She couldn't live with this…she loved him. _Loved _Len. She couldn't…no, _wouldn't _live knowing she'd killed the one that meant the most to her.

Yet, here she was, the phlegm-encased snarl emanating from her open throat informing her that yes, she _could _live with that knowledge…because she had no choice in the matter. Her body wasn't her own, and everything she saw was real. She had to live with this, because it was _forcing _her to. When she would only crave death, it would force life.. How very…cruel. What a cruel beast she had become.

If Rin hadn't been fighting what she was doing before, she sure as hell was now - every fiber of her being was focused around opening her hand clenched around Len's scruff, turn around, run away, _something,_ but try as she may, no good came out of it. It was like she was sending orders to body parts that weren't there. Against her will, her other hand pulled back, allowing the talon in her arm to slide out, the sound of wet smearing enough to make Len visibly cringe as she held him in place. She fought and fought, but nothing would budge, her arm drawing back, ready to thrust into him…yet all Len would do was smile. It was a sad, bittersweet kind of smile; the one that let you know that he was about to die, he knew it, and that he wanted to say goodbye one last time. He seemed completely at peace with what was happening here.

Rin, on the other hand, was fighting like a thing fresh out of hell about to be sent back…although you could hardly tell, from what good it was doing.

As her arm raised, Rin realized she could do nothing to stop it, and as the blade of her arm came swinging down, aimed towards her brother's head, she gathered up every last ounce of effort she could muster up, funneled it into one massive attempt to scream, and did just that.

Something somewhere gave a light _pop, _and everything went white.

Rin was thrust into a moment of vertigo, unable to feel, unable to tell up from down, no longer sure of where she was. From the white came smears of colors and shapes that began to form into a scene over time, and as the light dimmed, she realized that she wasn't dead, like she'd hoped - she was staring up at a ceiling colored white, hence the dominant color, the sun streaming in from the window causing her to be momentarily blinded. As her completely widened pupils began to dilate, shrinking from large enough to consume the width of her eye to the size of a pinprick - appropriate to the lighting - Rin blinked…paused, blinked again. Blinked three more times, then a few more, just for good measure. Her eyes would open and close…when she told them to? She inhaled through her mouth, held it there, then released the air from her lungs, savoring the feeling of being able to use a mouth - a _normal _mouth. She moved her tongue, felt it touch all the walls of her mouth and brush along her lips, not flopping uselessly down by her collarbone. For good measure, Rin bolted upright as if powered by a spring board, snapping her head to the left, slooooowly moving it to the right, then a little to the left to its original position. Not only could she control where she was looking, she was in her room, in her bed, wearing her pajamas that were currently soaked with sweat. Eew…she needed a shower.

It took Rin a while, the confusing bouncing around the inside of her slightly shell-shocked brain before it hit her: she was in her room. Not some dark, abandoned warehouse in the middle of the city at night, but in her room in the morning time, waking up in the Vocaloid household to start the day. She wasn't a murdering freak - she was Rin. Rin Kagamine. Regular, genuine, human Rin Kagamine. Not a monster or a killer, but a girl - a regular human girl. Everything was normal.

_A dream, _she realized all at once, eyes sinking slightly closed to heave a little sigh of relief. _It was…all just a dream…_

Somehow, though, Rin felt like that explanation didn't quite do justice. She had never had a dream…anything like _that_ before. Her heart was rattling in her chest, everything felt like it could fly apart any minute from the adrenaline pumping through her veins, practically replacing her blood…it all just felt so _real. _Not like those dreams where you dream you wake up and get a glass of water or something, but…horrifyingly real. So fluent, so vivid, so detailed…she could remember every last little detail, right down to the last drop of blood hitting the floor. She could remember it all. Judging from the smell of bacon grease and the sound of people in the general direction of the kitchen, however, it couldn't have happened - everyone was here. If one of them was, all of them were, because she'd killed all of them. _Oh god… _Rin shuddered as a chill ran up her spine, the images of her killing her friends still fresh in her mind. She could remember every last sense and feeling of everything…

What a sick, fucked-up dream; easily the most frightening one that Rin had ever had.

But in the end, that's all it was - a dream. Nothing more.

Inhaling a deep breath, Rin closed her eyes and let the air stream out through her nose in a long, heartfelt sigh. _A dream…all a dream… _No one was dead; she hadn't murdered anyone. Everyone was alive. The good days could continue. If anything, this had taught her something - how much she treasured everyone. What they meant to her…especially Len. Oh, Len…was a sweetie. He could be an absolute butthead when he wanted to be, hence their legendary bickering matches, but in the end, she still loved him. More than anything. After seeing such a horrible thing happen and realizing what it would be like to lose him…she wanted to be closer with him. She took him for granted far too much, and if she lost him all of a sudden, what would she live for? All that would be left was the guilt of never being able to be as close as they could be. She ought to change that - show her appreciation. Voice her care, her love for him. She needed to tell her brother that she loved him today…she ought to do that _every_ day. There was a lot of days that she didn't that she had to make up for… _Guess I better start now, huh?_

Right now, nothing sounded like a better idea than going out, whisking Len off to a little room they could be alone in, and cuddle. Rin was a cuddler, despite her tomboyish demeanor, and she'd never admit it, but the times they got to do so together were fantastic. His touch was so soothing…so warm. He loved it, too, but he'd probably never admit it, either. They both had too much pride to say it aloud. Oh well, that was alright; neither of them had to say anything. It was actions that counted. Loving actions in a sweet, comfortable silence. That was what she wanted to do.

Before she could do that, though, Rin needed to unwind a little. You'd think the house was on fire, the way her heart was hammering! If it beat any harder, it was start fracturing ribs, and it was a little hard to tell someone you loved them while you were in pain, right? So, she had to calm down. There was no point in worrying Len when she showed up ready to fight or run for her life, with all the adrenaline. Time to relax first; _then _cuddle.

Taking a few long, deep breaths, Rin let her eyes remain closed, allowing her shoulders to droop back as she relaxed them, feeling her chest rise and fall with every slow, calming breath. Seeing all those terrible, indescribable images left her…oh man. Did she ever need therapy, if she was going to have dreams like _that. _What did she eat the night before, anyway? She leaned forward a little, bringing a hand up to rub her forehead between her thumb and index and middle fingers, trying to get her scattered, mile-a-second thoughts to slow down a bit as she tried to find something else to think about. Her head sank down as she held her other arm up, elbow on the bed, intent on resting it there-

She yelped an "ow!" at the sudden stab of pain that sliced through her cheek, instinctively putting her hands there to put pressure on it. Ouch, that hurt! It felt like she got stung by a bee. Ugh, that would suck…she hated bee stings. And right in the morning, too. As if the worst nightmare she'd ever had wasn't bad enough! She rubbed her cheek, expecting it to swell up any minute, but the longer she waited, the more she suspected it wasn't a bee sting. For one, there were no bees anywhere, and if it stung her, there would be a big welt on her face right about now, not to mention the stinger embedded in her skin. The lack of the bee, the stinger, and the sting itself got her attention - it wasn't a bee sting, and she wasn't holding anything, so it wasn't like she tried resting her head on a fork or something. It was just her hand…

Rin paused, feeling something - not on her cheek, but on her hands itself. She pulled the hand back, examining the palm, seeing a single slit in the skin running vertically along the lower half of her palm about two inches long-

For the briefest of instants, Rin's heart stopped. By no means was this an exaggeration.

Completely on impulse, Rin very slowly pulled her hand back so her fingers were stretched straight out, pointed at the ceiling. To her horror, as she watched, the more she pulled back her hand, the more a long, metal-like spoke of bone extended out of her flesh up to a meter in length, the sound of wet meat sliding out of the way making her want to gag as her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, heart hammering with newfound vigor as it slid out to its full length…

Was it all just a dream?

_Or had the nightmare only just begun?_


	2. I'm a Monster

It was a morning like any other - completely unremarkable in just about every way. The only notable feature was perhaps how un-notable the entire situation was, just as it had been for just about as long as anyone could remember. Sure, there were occasional rushes here and there for early-morning concerts, but for the most part, mornings in the Vocaloid household were slow, sluggish, and relaxed, though this wasn't to say nothing happened around this time.

By now, the pink-haired Luka was flipping pancakes on the stove, preparing breakfast for a considerably smaller number of people than she was accustomed to preparing meals for…not that she was complaining. Far from it, in fact; she would much rather prepare a meal for six over the usual ten mouths she was used to having to cook for, and luck must have been with her today, as the household's biggest rabble-rousers - Gakupo, who was always hitting on her and trying to remove the pan surgically fused to his head, and Meiko, who was legendary (and infamous) for having a hangover every single morning - were gone today. Kaito and Gakupo were off to work on a song, presumably together, Gumi was…somewhere, and Meiko was…also somewhere. Probably bitching to whatever director she'd run into at Crypton about how her decided "foe" Sakine 16 was stealing her ratings. She'd come home drunk in a few hours, or maybe not at all, and the responsibility of dragging her drunken ass from whatever bar she'd passed out at would be gruelingly picked up by the rest of the household. Fun times.

Off in another room that had become known as the "sulking room" for a reason, Haku sat alone in the dark, a can of some general-brand beer in her hand, occasionally sighing and flipping channels with her spare hand, sitting on the table to have good access to the TV. The remote had long-since disappeared from the realm of man, leaving the only means of changing channels to do so manually on the TV itself. Like always, her expression was forlorn and perhaps a bit tired as well, likely from having been up numerous hours prior in a quest to find something good to watch. Neru lay sprawled out on the black leather couch just behind her, glowering into the screen of her cellphone as she texted god-knows-who about god-knows-what; she, too, had been up for hours on end prior to this, but unlike her depressed friend you couldn't tell by looking at her; she'd become nocturnal by sheer nature of her obsessive texting habit, and you could say that she was getting close to her "bedtime." And where would she sleep? Probably exactly where she currently laid. If not, then wherever she decided to fall over and lose consciousness at. She couldn't remember the last time she slept in her own bed, or in something besides what she'd been wearing the day before. Come to think of it, when was the last time - necessity aside - that she'd changed her clothes?

Miku was in the bathroom, as usual around this time, doing what she was usually doing in the morning: messing with her hair. Her ponytails, specifically: her pride and joy. She was quite proud of them, believe it or not, and she devoted the better part of the entire first half of the day making sure they were absolutely _perfect_. They had a recording session planned for her today: someone wanted a touch-up on _Chaining Intention - _her favorite song - and she wanted to get it right the first time in the music video, so she'd have to look one hundred and fifty percent today; she had to get her look_ just_ right. Singing was only half of the equation, after all. What good was sounding great if you didn't _look_ great, too?

Len, in the meantime, wasn't taking quite as much satisfaction in Miku's particular care for her looks. He stood outside the door, leaning up against the wall, no shirt, a towel draped around his shoulders, boredly leaning his head forward to drop it against the wall with a small thump. _Why, _sweet God in heaven, did he have to end up outside the bathroom behind the slowest girl in the fucking world? What did he do to deserve this? He was _dirty! _He needed a shower! Badly! How was he supposed to wake up in the morning without his morning shower? He couldn't very well drink coffee - that stuff was nasty. If he couldn't get hot water on his body in, like, ten seconds, he was going to fall asleep again…

Fortunately - more or less - he wouldn't have that problem for long.

Without warning, a shrill scream pierced through the air of the Vocaloid house like a bullet, shattering the comparatively serene atmosphere at the same speed at which the noise itself traveled. Everything in the entire house simply ceased the instant the noise rolled through the vicinity - for a moment, everything stood still. It was like the atoms and the very fabric of time itself were momentarily frozen by the bloodcurdling shriek, taking a moment to let a shiver crawl through them; people didn't just scream like that for no apparent reason. It sounded as though the very jaws of Death itself had opened up, closing in around the victim as it realized that it was about to die…horror. The scream absolutely reeked of absolute _terror_. You could practically _smell _it over the pancakes on the burner that was abruptly shut off by a suddenly shaking hand. Everyone in the house went rigid, stopped what they were doing, and had only enough mental process left to think one word:

_Rin._

Just as suddenly as the noise sounded off did a second noise filled the air - this one a sharp bang and a splintering sound as the door to Rin Kagamine's room was kicked open, a blond-haired boy with no shirt hefting a baseball bat over his head, ready to smash in whatever was plaguing his sister so. _"Rin!"_

The rest of the Vocaloids were soon to follow, each poised and ready to…do something. They didn't know what, just that something had to be done to help their friend. They paused in the doorway, five pairs of eyes of multiple colors scanning the room. No threats were in sight; no burglars, no thieves, no monsters…nothing. Certainly nothing to evoke such a scream…or such a sight.

Rin was on her bed, the covers ripped off and tossed carelessly out of the way to make way for her as she pressed up against the wall, covering her eyes and hugging her knees, visibly trembling like a leaf in a gust storm. Her skin was pale, orange slice-design pajamas drenched from frigid sweat practically pouring out of every outlet in her body, making the clothes stick to her skin and weigh down from the extra weight within the fibers. She was very quietly murmuring something under her breath, though it was impossible to make out exactly what she was saying.

Neru stood there a moment, looking around, heart hammering in her chest, when it finally dawned on her: there was nothing here. No people breaking in, like she was sure it was…a false alarm. "…are you fucking kidding me?" she fumed at last, deeming the situation under control from the lack of…anything. There was nothing here. What the hell could she possible be so freaked out over that it interrupted her cuddle-session, damn it?

Both Miku and Len crept hastily into the room, giving it a good look-over while Luka went over to the window, yanking the curtains aside to peer outside. Nothing, nowhere, nobody. It looked like absolutely nothing had happened here, which was becoming more and more apparent all the time.

Haku's shoulders visibly slumped as she relaxed, putting a hand to the heart that was currently thrashing from getting the hell scared out of her. She remained where she stood, instinctively sinking behind Neru, who looked ready to punch someone even as the others continued to look around to make sure.

Luka eyed out the window a little while before sighing, shaking her head. "…nothing," she muttered, looking over to Len and Miku for a report as well.

Miku shook her head, rubbing the back of it. "I don't see anything wrong…"

Len slowly lowered the baseball bat he'd been hefting over his head, looking over to his sister. Whatever sharp comment or demand he was going to make died on his lips - he couldn't take his eyes off his sister. Rin hadn't moved, bar the shaking that trumpeted through her frail form, hands pressed firmly against her eyes, as if trying to keep them from bursting out of her head. A trickle of sweat ran down her forearm, accompanied by one that slipped down her temple…true, there was nothing here, but something had her well and truly terrified. He'd never seen her like this before. "Rin…"

"Are you fucking _kidding me?" _Neru repeated, the tsundere visibly growing angrier and angrier by the second. They all got the shit scared out of them, practically broke her fucking door down to get inside, and all for a _false alarm? _

Haku stood by silently, shifting weight from one foot to the other, choosing to remain neutral for the sake of her own wellbeing - Neru was pissed, so it wasn't a good idea to be on her bad side. She wouldn't vouch for her, either, since she looked ready to beat someone to death with something blunt and hard…best just to stay quiet for now.

Luka was also silent, looking out the window like she was sure there was something out there to see. When all she heard was silence, she turned to face Rin, meeting the same disturbing conclusion as Len: something was_ definitely _wrong. "Are you okay, honey?"

Once more, all questions were met with silence, the petrified girl continuing to shield her eyes and tremble, muttering indecipherable nothings to herself with the air of hysteria.

Len, for one, didn't like it; he'd never seen _anyone _act like this, let alone Rin, which instantly piqued his concern for her. What had happened? He had to know, so he could make sure she was okay. He stepped towards her now, the hand not clutching the baseball bat reaching out to rest on her shoulder in an assuring gesture. "Rin-"

"_**Stay away from me!" **_

Len jumped back like he'd been struck with a startled "Jesus!", nearly crashing into Miku behind him. "What the hell?" Okay, now he _knew _something was wrong. She never took her hands off her eyes…telling him to stay away…that wasn't normal. Something was wrong; something _big._

The annoyed expressions present quickly turned to alarm, peeved feelings vaporizing on the spot. Even Neru had to admit something was up; Rin just didn't behave like this. She wasn't sure what was tears and what was sweat at this point. "…dude," was all she could manage, unsure of what to say. Well, words weren't her forte! That was…someone else's specialty! Anyone but hers. Unless you wanted to hear some insults ring out, which probably wasn't going to help here.

Luka's motherly nature instantly dictated that she take action; there was nothing else to be done. Rin needed to be helped. So, she promptly marched right up to the opposite side of the bed and sat down next to the pillows with sweat-outlines matching that of a head, roughly Rin-sized. "Rin," she said gently.

Rin winced like she'd been yelled at, backing more and more into the corner between her bed frame and the wall like a cornered animal looking for escape. "St-stay back," she whimpered in a broken, shaking voice, trying to curl up more into a ball. "D-d-don't…come near…"

Luka didn't comply, scooting up a little closer to her. "It's okay, honey," she cooed, eying Miku as she silently crept up over to Rin's side through the bed frame undetected, closer than anyone present. No doubt she'd freak if she saw. "It's alright; it's just us. We're right here, see? Nothing to worry about…"

Rin adamantly shook her head, pressing more into the corner, oblivious to Miku's presence practically right on top of her. "N-n-no…I-I'm…just…no…d-don't…"

"What happened, sis?" Len asked, setting the bat down to crouch down across from her, leaning over the bed a little. The worry on his face was as clear as day - he was deathly worried about Rin. She never acted like this. He wanted to help, even though he had no idea how. They'd never make any headway if Rin didn't open up.

Rin, however, didn't look too social at the moment, reacting especially vigorous to Len's presence by shoving herself hard against her bed frame in an effort to gain more distance, causing the shiny curved yellow bars to squeak in protest from the force. She was trembling more now, distress evident. "I-I…m…imma….m-m-monster…"

Miku blinked and tilted her head quizzically, looking over to Luka in a questioning manner. Luka returned the blank look, unsure what to make of this revelation. A monster? Rin? Seriously? _That's _what she thought? "…what on earth would make you think that, honey? You're not a monste-"

"Yes I _am!" _Rin blurted, head pressing forward against her hands to lay them against her knees as though she were sobbing, shoulders beginning to wrack a bit more now. "I-I'm…it…keep back, I…don't kn-know how…l…long I….c-can…conto-…control…it…"

Luka shook her head. What was she supposed to do? She was being silly, but she was sure that she was a monster or something…she looked back to the duo behind her - Neru and Haku - who stood by silently, unsure of what to do themselves. What was there to do here? They didn't take a class on this! _She _was the mother-figure here, not them!

Len spoke up now, leaning in closer a bit more, despite her insistence that they stay away. Yeah, right; like he was going to leave her when she was like this. She was off her rocker, if she thought he'd do that. "You're not," he told her, as if it was an order, taking things with a big brother-approach. "That's stupid, Rin. You are _not _a monster. You're Rin. Now will you take your hands off your eyes and let me come closer?"

Rin adamantly shook her head as though the idea was absolutely preposterous. "N-no! M-my hands, they…a-a-aren't…" She shook her head vigorously now, curling more up into a ball. "J-just…go away…"

Len sighed. "You and I both know I can't do that."

"You _have _to!" Rin insisted, still unwilling to bear her eyes. "I-I…don't want to hurt you…"

Apparently deciding she needed to speak up again, Neru stepped forward to speak. "Uh, I'm pretty sure you're not a monster…you don't look any uglier than usual. What are you, some kind of boogey man?"

Rin didn't at all look assured, or even aware, of Neru's words, hence why Miku leaned in close, her head a few inches from her ear. "How can we know for sure if you don't show us?" It was a logical argument; obviously, they needed proof, and without it, they had no way of knowing if it was true or not.

Logic meeting an illogical fear doesn't go well, however, hence why Rin squeaked a cry from the proximity of her voice and rolled onto her side, curling up tighter. "N-no…no…d-don't…I-I can't…"

Len huffed, turning his head to the side to crack it. "Alright, then," he said, rolling his shoulders a bit, standing upright. "I guess we've got to do it the hard way."

Without warning, he lunged forward, grabbling each of Rin's hands, attempting to pry them away from her face.

Being the weakest of the two by a considerable degree, Rin was unable to resist the force of his pulling, only able to shriek "No!" and thrash about like a thing possessed, attempting to shake him off. It didn't work, however, and Len kept his hold on her, ignoring Luka's protests for him to stop as he came around behind her, wrapping his legs around her waist to hold her firm, not letting up in his grip on her wrists. She only continued to scream and fight, though it did little good, unable to defeat his hold. "No, stop! No! Don't- Len! _Stop!"_

Len didn't relent, holding her steady, ignoring the protests for him to stop from both her and the others; he didn't care what they thought. He had to do this. She had her eyes closed firmly, still unwilling to open them…why? He ought to find out. "Open your eyes, Rin," he said firmly.

Rin's eyes remained stubbornly closed, even as she shook her head. "No!"

"Open them."

"No, no, no no no _no!"_

Well, _that _was getting them a lot done. Len changed targets and shifted his attention back to her hands, which were clenched tightly into fists and bent down, as if she was trying to touch the underside of her arm. "Show me your hands."

Once again, he was met with resistance of the utmost, fingers digging into her palm. "No!"

"Do it, or I will for you."

Rin frantic noises escalated in pitch, firm defiance devolving into desperation. "Len, no, _please-"_

He didn't let her finish, fingers prying her hands open, slipping them between hers and bending them back, trying to open her fists. She shrieked and fought more vigorously than ever, though for all her determination, there was one thing she couldn't overcome: Len was simply more powerful than her. He got a hold of her, and with unrivaled determination, pulled her hands back to the position she refused to bring them: hands back, palms out.

Rin shrieked _"NO!" _and gave up, now sobbing hysterically for him to stop, go away, run…anything, as long as it meant getting away from her. She was a monster - now he would see for himself, and probably hurt himself from moving her hands like that. Her blades would cut him…might even take out his fingers. She didn't want to hurt him…she was a monster. A horrible, bloodthirsty monster. Why did he insist on fighting her when she only wanted him to be safe? "P-p-please…Len, go…I-I-I…m a…monster…run…please…"

"Rin…what the hell are you talking about?"

Rin froze in mid-sob, eyes springing open without a thought to look at her hand firmly gripped in his. She saw her hand, his hand holding hers steady and open…and nothing else. No blood, no blade, no severed fingers, no sickening wet sounds…nothing. Her hand was totally normal. "…w…wha…?"

Len allowed her to retrieve her hand now, watching as she turned them over multiple times, looking all over them with the intensity of an eagle looking for a hair of a mouse sticking up out of the brush. She looked particularly closely at her palms, moving her hand back and forth multiple times, as if trying to trigger some kind of reflex or special ability. Nothing happened, of course, and this only seemed to baffle her.

Len sat by patiently until her hands dropped to her lap, staring vacantly down at them, unmoving even as he shifted now, releasing her from his vice grip to give her some freedom. "See?" he said gently, hands on her shoulders in an assuring gesture. "It's nothing, Rin. You're not a monster; you're just Rin."

Rin didn't respond, staring down at her hands as she turned them palm-up, looking at the blank spot where the slivers would be. The blades would come out through there every time she pulled her hands back…but they didn't. She thought for sure…didn't she once already…but then, how…when she…why didn't they…?

Luka, who had risen during the tussle, sat back down again, scooting over a bit to get closer, glad at least that Rin wasn't moving to avoid them now. "It's alright, honey," she assured her, voice soothing and gentle. "Everything's fine. I think you just had a bad dream..."

As if a switch had been flipped, Rin suddenly twisted around and threw her arms around Len's neck, burying her face into his chest with a wailing "Oh, _Len!" _She then proceeded to start crying, shoulders jerking up and down as she wept, gripping him as though he was something she could lose. She thought she would…oh man. Oh man…Len. Her Len. She thought she lost him….thought she was going to kill him. She didn't want him to die; she just wanted to love him. Was that so much to ask? Just to love someone?

Taken aback by her reaction - he thought she was going to attack him or something! - Len hesitated briefly before placing his arms around his sister, resting his head on hers. "It's alright, sis," he cooed, running a hand up and down her back in a soothing gesture, rocking her back and forth ever so lightly. She felt so delicate under his touch…like she might shatter. He'd never seen Rin Kagamine so vulnerable before. "I gotcha…"

Immediately feeling her heart shudder from the sight, Miku reached over to place a hand on Rin's shoulder, unwilling to simply stand by while her best friend cried. Luka scooted over closer to sit directly to Rin's side, hand on her other shoulder. Neru didn't really react, nor know how to properly respond, though Haku gave a relieved sigh at the sight. She felt a little useless, but at least things were okay now.

For Rin, this couldn't have been more comforting. Everyone was right there; her friends. Her family. All there, without hesitation, all willing to help…she felt so loved. She was so lucky to have all of them - she would have been so broken if her nightmare had been a reality. What would she do without them all there? Who would she turn to? Would there be anyone left for her, if not them? They filled her heart, and in that dreadful, horrible nightmare, she'd been powerless to keep herself from emptying it. There wasn't anything to keep it from breaking. Now, though…now she was loved. In this wonderful world she never stopped to appreciate, she was surrounded by her friends.

That was going to have to change…the never appreciating-part, that is. She needed to show that she was thankful more often - that she was glad they were there. If something happened and they indeed were all gone, what would happen? She'd be plagued with guilt knowing they could have been closer and that she hadn't said "thank you." Well you know what? She was going to start doing that. This horrible ordeal taught her how much she appreciated everyone. It was high-time she started showing it, too.

But for now, she would cry. And she did just that: her face buried into the crook of Len's neck, finally able to breathe out all of the built-up angst, the stress, the horror….what a _dream._ A dream that not only made her watch her friends all be killed - by her hand, no less - but then went and made her wonder if it was all a dream or not. What a twisted, dark nightmare she'd had…what the hell had she eaten last night to give her such a dream? She tried to recall, but weary from an anxiety-attack and crying, she couldn't recall; it all seemed like so long ago. Like it, too, was just a dream she'd had. She supposed it didn't matter; she was awake now, everyone was here, and she had Len. In the end, that was all that was important.

After a good long while of embracing her precious twin, Rin's sobs died away slowly, replaced only by the occasional sniffle and rub of her eyes as she collected herself, never once losing her grip on the boy in her arms. You'd have to cut them off to get her to let go now. Oh Len…sweet, sweet Len. She loved him so much…did he know how much she loved him? Maybe she'd have to tell him…

Sensing she'd calmed down, Len placed a little kiss on Rin's forehead, gently stroking her hair. Normally he'd be horrified somebody actually was there to see him do something like this, but at the moment he could care less. His Rin needed him. Who cared what they saw? They'd probably do something akin to it if it was _their _sister, anyway…besides Neru. She was a hard-ass. "There," he said softly. "Better now?"

Rin sniffled, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand once more before nodding, pressing a little closer into him. He was warm…not at all like the sweat-soaked pajamas she wore…ew. She needed a shower. But that could wait; she wanted to be held right now.

Miku let out a little sigh of relief, visibly relaxing at the news. Good…Rin was alright. That made it all worth it, right there. Haku, though feeling no less useless, was elated, continuing to smile from her spot in the doorway.

Luka wasn't any less pleased, smiling as she rubbed Rin's shoulder a little. The poor girl must have gone through hell and back to wind up in such a state of distress. "What's all this about being a monster, honey?" she asked, a combination of curious and concerned. What could make a person think like that? Must have been some nightmare…

Rin shivered, moving a little closer to Len, snuggling down into him, nestled up in his arms. "I-it…was a dream, I think…I don't know. It's really confusing…"

Boy, wasn't _that _the truth. First she woke up and thought it was a dream. Then, she realized it _wasn'_t a dream. Now she realized it _was _a dream that just made it _seem_ like she was awake…can you say "confusing?" She could barely tell what was what, at this point. She thought for _sure _she was awake when she saw the blade come out of her hand again…well, maybe not. The whole thing had seemed very, very real…maybe it _was _part of the dream. She didn't know…or particularly care. The only thing she cared about was that her favorite boy in the world was holding her, and that she couldn't be happier.

Luka nodded in understanding. A nightmare, then. She thought so. "It must have been some nightmare to scare you like that," she mused aloud.

"Gave _us _a good scare, too," Haku put in, speaking up for the first time that day. "B-but it's good to see you're okay…"

Neru grunted, shaking her head distastefully; her blonde ponytail swayed as her head did, as if mimicking the gesture. "Nightmares suck."

Ah, Neru. Definitely a godsend, if you liked a brutal kind of honesty.

Rin giggled sheepishly, suddenly aware of how much she must have freaked everyone out. "Sorry…"

"Don't apologize," Miku told her, patting her shoulder. "I think you got it worse than anyone. Besides, it's not your fault." She paused, tilting her head to the side slightly in question, ponytails bobbing along with her. "…what did you dream about, anyway?"

A trickle of ice rolled down the length of Rin's spine, evoking a shiver from her in response - oh god…such a simple question that evoked such a fearful reaction. So much had happened…horrible, unspeakable things…where did she begin? How could she properly describe what she'd seen? Was there any one description that could summarize that kind of feeling - the feeling of being trapped in your own skin as you watched your brutal, bloodthirsty body rip and tear your friends apart?

Rin was no stranger to fear…at least, she thought she hadn't been. She'd had nightmares before, and more than once in her young life she'd had things that had made her jump and shriek. A snake in the closet, someone jumping out from around the corner and startling her, roller coasters at an amusement park, staring out at the crowd of people cheering out your name that seemed to stretch on into oblivion…heck, sometimes she even watched a scary movie or two, just for the hell of it, or because she was dared to. She thought that was what fear felt like. That "OMG!" moment where your heart spiked up and momentarily clogged your throat up with that gasp of surprise; she thought that was what fear tasted like. If you asked her if she knew what it felt like to be afraid, she'd probably answer "Of course!" and offered one of the above examples with confidence.

That wasn't fear. In fact, Rin couldn't have been farther off the mark. Fear - _true _fear - was something else entirely. Moments where you worried for your life, or for someone else's close to you…surrounded by your phobia…an inch from death…facing something too horrible to be real…_that _was fear. That cold spike of adrenaline that accompanied the "fight or flight" response to something that you simply didn't know how to comprehend. The overwhelming urge to scream in the face of what you were certain would be your end. The terror and hopelessness of being powerless to stop yourself from killing all of your friends. _That _was fear. _That _was what fear tasted like. Anyone that thought they knew fear was either an idiot or had faced something that nobody should ever have to - looked death in the eye and came back to tell the tale, or saw something that was simply too horrible to have any right to exist. Rin thought she'd known fear beforehand, like the countless others like her that lived good, unappreciated, sheltered lives. She, like everyone else, thought they knew what the worst looked like, and what fear reeked of. They thought they knew.

They, like Rin, were horribly, simply _wrong._

Answered only by silence, Miku sat there a moment, blinking when she realized Rin wasn't going to respond. As one of the members of the sheltered lives everyone deserved to have, Miku had no idea what Rin had gone through, and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to understand. She couldn't imagine being so scared that she reacted like this. And to think that it was all just a dream…man, the mind could work some fucked-up magic on itself. Maybe this would serve as a reminder not to eat meat before bed…

Gently Len nudged Rin's shoulder with his hand, restraining the urge to frown at the way she jumped; must have stirred her from her thoughts. "Rin," he said softly. "It's alright if you don't wanna talk about it. We just wanna help." He looked to Luka for support - this wasn't really his usual thing, and he was a bit insecure - who smiled and nodded with a smile. It was good to see big brother Len step up to help his sister. Hey, he was only older by, like, two seconds, but that was enough to put him in the position of responsible older sibling, right?

Rin shook her head, rubbing her eyes against his shoulder to dry them. "N-no, no, it's fine…" She _wanted_ to talk about it. Talking always helped, right? That's what people did when they had a nightmare: they talked about it. It always worked for her. You couldn't go wrong with talking about it.

That being said, how exactly was she supposed to talk about _this?_ She wasn't about to go into detail for fear of crying again, or otherwise completely losing her mind, but there was so much to cover…it was a little overwhelming. A bit like being asked to write a summary on a really, really long and complicated book - where did she begin? End? What words did she pick? What things did she go into? How could she express what she had seen and felt? "It was scary" didn't seem to cover it, and…well, she doubted everyone wanted to hear about the particular manners in which they were torn apart.

How could she ever properly explain?

Taking another long moment to collect herself a little more and try to piece together some kind of explanation, Rin just sighed - this was stupid. She was taking too long and getting nowhere…best just to tell the basic thing. So, she opened her mouth, and with a slightly shaking voice from both the traumatic topic and from recently crying, said: "I…killed everyone."

There was a brief moment of stillness in the room, possibly the instant in which everyone's hearts either skipped a beat or otherwise sped up a little. Their exact expressions were unknown to her, since she was turned around and resting her head on Len's shoulder, but Rin didn't need to turn around to feel the shocked expressions and wide eyes staring into the back of her head.

It was a good long while before anyone spoke; Neru shook her head, wearing an incredulous smile like she was being told a really, really lame joke and she was expected to take it seriously. _"…what?"_

Rin sniffled once more, nodding to confirm that they had, in fact, heard her correctly. "I-in my dream, I…turned into a monster and….killed everybody." Once again she was forced to hold back a shiver, though it didn't work too well, shifting ever so slightly in compensation. She continued at a breathless pace, not even waiting for a response, her grip on Len steadily growing tighter and tighter. "Oh my god, it was all so _real…_I-I was like a, a-a mutant, or…something…I w-was still me, watching…m-my mind was still, like…me…b-but something was making me move. Made me do things, I…oh my god…I-I can still hear the screams, feel th-the…warm…wet…"

This time, a shiver went unhindered, burying her face into the crook of Len's neck, letting out a small, frightened sob. The images were still fresh in her mind, the feeling of blood splashing on her mangled, mutated face crisp and well-defined…it felt like she really _had _done all of these horrible things. The sensations were just so realistic, it wasn't even funny. It was just too_ real._

Stunned and scarcely able to work his mouth, Len just went on instinct and wrapped his arms a little more snugly around Rin, a hand coming up to stroke her hair to comfort her. He gave up on processing this. He'd just hold his sister and whisper sweet nothings into her ear; that was his job. Let the actual thinking go to the others. "Shhhh…it's okay, Rin," he murmured quietly into her ear, nuzzling their cheeks together. He distantly hoped that there was some brain-activity going on around here, because if it was up to him, he'd just sit here like this and wish for it all to go away. All of his focus was solely centered around Rin. "Just take a deep breath and relax."

Unsure whether he was talking to her or Rin, Luka did just that, breathing in slow, deep breaths as she got her mind down to a more reasonable speed. Well…uh…shucks, what was there to say to _that? _Not a ton, actually…okay, mental note: keep track of what Rin ate at night. This level of freaky was…freaky.

The silence lingered on, Rin's sobs quickly quieting down until she was completely relaxed and silent, eyes fluttering closed to embrace the warmth of her brother. Had she ever mentioned she loved Len? No? Well, she did. He was her world - her only light. Her most precious treasure. If she lost him…she didn't know what she'd do. That calming voice, those warm hands holding her nice and cozy-like, those muscular arms capable of picking her up and flailing her about the room cradling her with the same gentle touch as a mother to a newborn…he was just perfect. Len was wonderful. She'd been so selfish and ungrateful…how could she not have appreciated him like this before? No more of that - from here on out, Len Kagamine was going to be savored from start to finish. Not one deed or breath of his was going to be unappreciated - Rin was going to make sure he knew that. Every minute she could sit there, nestled up against him, forehead laying lightly on his shoulder, she just seemed to love him more and more…she never wanted to move. Why would she? Len was everything she could ever want.

The awkward silence became a comfortable one the longer the Vocaloids stood by, nervous fidgeting replaced by light smiles as they watched the two. Both Rin and Len looked completely at ease, all but melting into their embrace, sapphire eyes closed in contentment…it was heartwarming to see. Miku, Luka, Haku, and even Neru got warm fuzzy feelings rising in their chests at the sight of the two like that. Alright, so Rin dreamed that she'd killed everyone. Eep. Creepy…slightly demented…not a ton to add to that. But it wasn't like anything needed to be said.

Seeing as how everything seemed pretty much done - what was there to do? That last bit pretty much killed everything to say - Neru glanced down at the cellphone still clenched in her hand, flipped it open, and after a brief glance around the room decided to take her leave, a trail of clicks and light beeps indicating when a key was typed. It wasn't like she didn't care…it was just that she didn't know how to show that she did. She felt kind of useless standing there, and…well, everything _did _seem okay now, so they didn't really need her around…best just to make herself scarce for now.

After a moment of watching Rin, Miku apparently got an idea. "…hey. You know what'll make everything better? Cookies~!"

Rin stifled a laugh, even as Len gave a shudder - a complete opposite of the grin Rin was beaming into his shirt. "Oh god, Miku, not _your _cooking…"

Miku huffed, cheeks puffing in a pout. "What's wrong with _my_ cooking?" she demanded, very much off-put by the remark.

"I believe he's referring to the last time you attempted to make anything past a bowl of cereal," Luka mused mildly, glancing over at the silver-haired Vocaloid behind her, who gave a shudder at the memory. "That was the day we all learned what happened when leeks get jammed in stove burners."

The answer: they burst into flame. And then proceeded to evoke much panic and, ultimately, nearly burn the house down. Luckily, they got to transfer houses immediately after that - probably Crypton having pity on them when they caught wind that Miku was trying to cook. Ever since then, Luka had been deemed their designated cooker for the next, like, _ever._

Once more, Len shuddered. "Maybe someday we'll tell you what's _right _with your cooking. It'll make a shorter list."

Miku gave an indignant huff, shooting Luka a look as she stifled a laugh. "It's not funny!" she insisted, cheeks flushing a light shade of pink. "I'm a _wonderful _cook! You guys _love _my food!"

"Uh-huh. And Neru's got a unicorn that shoots rainbows out of its ass."

Over Miku's huff of indignance came Neru's voice, irritation clear: "I heard my name, followed by something asshole-ish! Why did I hear my name followed by something asshole-ish? Hey, why are you laughing? Shut up!"

Of course, Len, Rin, Luka, and Haku - then, eventually, Miku - continued to laugh. Whether it was at the unicorn thus mentioned or the tsundere it supposedly belonged to, it wasn't clear. Maybe they were just laughing in general just because. Heck, with the insanity that went on during the day-hours and beyond around here, it wouldn't be totally unlikely that everyone contracted hysteria and went nuts all at the same time. There'd been crazier things that had happened…like the time Meiko managed to throw a hammer and hit Kaito around the corner of the house when they decided to do some renovating in an effort to make a deck. How that hammer managed to turn at a 90 degree angle to come into contact with Kaito's head was still a mystery…unless one of its parents had been a boomerang. _Then _it would make sense. Or maybe Meiko was capable of bending the laws of reality in the pursuit of inflicting bodily harm on poor Kaito. Whatever worked.

Eventually - after Luka's comment about not wanting to taste the rainbow anymore sent everyone into another round of hysterics - the laughter died down, allowing the necessary breaths to be taken in freely and whatever tears had been shed to wiped from their respective sapphire, azure, or maroon eyes. "Well," Luka said as she stood, still grinning widely, "since everything seems right in the world, I'm going to go finish up making breakfast. I'll get some nice orange slices for yours, okay Rin?"

Rin giggled in delight, nodding happily to her mother-figure. "Okay! Thanks, Luka~!"

"And I'll help!" Miku declared, shooting up to follow Luka out. "Together the two master chefs shall whip up the best breakfast in the history of man!"

"Okay. When we find the other one, we'll let you know."

"Sh-shut up, Len!"

More laughs ensured, though this time only from the four of them, not counting Miku, who looked as though she'd just had her big toe stomped on particularly hard. Luka departed to protect the stove while Miku dragged her wounded pride along with her, determined to prove everyone wrong and show she _was _in fact the Iron Chef she liked to portray herself as. It was unlikely that the oven would ever see the light of day from this day forth.

After stepping aside to let the two women wage war over the kitchen, Haku realized that she was the only other one in the room bar Rin and Len, and her shyness kicking up evoked a splash of pink across her cheeks. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Haku decided that she was _not _going to be completely useless today and, nervously, approached the bed the two were on. "S-so…y-you're okay?" she squeaked, trying as hard as she could not to get her voice to crack.

Still smiling pleasantly, Rin turned her head to give Haku a little nod, still very much intent on remaining snuggled up with her twin here. "Yeah…just as long as Miku doesn't burn the house down again."

Haku chuckled, now twiddling her fingers nervously as her anxiety grew and the color in her cheeks became more and more defined. "H-heh…well, um…I-I'm not a lot of help, but if you, like…you know, e-ever wanna talk about things…m-m-maybe I-I won't be too helpful, b-but I can listen, at least…so…yeah…"

Turning the other way to face her more directly, Rin beamed warmly, comforted and amused at the silver-haired girl's bashfulness. You rarely got a peep out of her any day of the week, and she barely spoke to anyone, unless it was Neru, who wasn't much of a talker anyway, so of course she'd be insecure about people. That, and she looked so vulnerable and cute when she was blushing~! "Thank you, Haku…it mean a lot to me. Thanks."

Len looked up now to Haku as well, flashing an appreciative smile. It was really something for Haku to come forward like this, so of course he was going to make sure she knew it was appreciated. "Yeah, thanks a lot. It's pretty cool of you."

At this simple praise, Haku's face flushed a peculiar shade of crimson, steam all but puffing out of her ears. Overcome by bashfulness, Haku squeaked something along the lines of "kaythanksbye!" and made a hasty scramble out of the room, retreating to the sanctity of the "sulking room," where the glare of the TV and the omnipresent clicking of Neru's texting was sure to provide the shy girl solace.

At the spectacle she made as she left, both Len and Rin burst into a small fit of giggles that left both of them grinning, even after the fact. The pleasant mood remained present in both of them, even when the actual laughter died away. "Hee…Haku's so funny," Rin gushed, poking her brother lightly in the side of the head. "You're funny, too. Mostly just funny looking, though."

"Not a smart thing to say to the guy who shares, like, 90% of your DNA."

"So? We don't look at all alike!"

"I have to put my hair up or I'll look like a girl."

"That's just because you're such a shota."

Len let out a humph, proceeding to pout while thinking of something childish to call her. "…shota-con."

"Ugly."

"Butt-ugly."

"Smelly."

"Stupid."

"Smelly."

"You already said that, idiot!"

"Well, you _really _smell. God, you need a shower or something. Quit contaminating me with your smelly sweatiness."

At this, Rin promptly lifted an arm into the air and buried Len's face into it, now resorting to chemical warfare. "BO attaaaaack!"

Len let out a peculiar and unique noise as he gag/yelp/laughed, all but shoving Rin out across the bed, who proceeded to burst out into laughter. "Agh, uck, god, yuck! Rin body odor…my face is probably going to fall off now! Get me a rabies shot, quick - I need to be vaccinated!"

Of course, Rin continued to laugh in delight, rolling onto her back with her feet kicking in the air from the laughter. If she had any concern for her brother's "medical emergency," she didn't show it.

Len sat there for a while, cheeks tinting pink before he decided he'd had enough. With a grunt, he launched himself over, pounced onto his sister as she writhed from laughter, and began to tickle her. "Ha, take _this!"_

Rin shrieked in laughter, giggles becoming hysterical as she fought to gain control over the situation, grasping out desperately to pry him off her. "H-hey, n-no fair-"

"All's fair in love and war, sister~!"

"B-but you're heavier-"

"Well, you're stinkier! Now shut up and take your tickles like a ma- ouch, ow! Hey, no kicking!"

But Rin didn't relent, continuing to giggly gaily even as Len was forced to back up near the foot of the bed to avoid a flurry of bare Rin feet. Seizing her chance, Rin quickly got to her knees, reared back like a cat about to pounce, and leaped clear across the bed to tackle her brother and resume the tickle-fight, though with someone else with the upper hand.

Rin loved this. These playful exchanges, these harmless, childish shenanigans…it was so much fun. They didn't have to worry about anything - not their music, not their schedules, not how hungry they may or not be, no matters of the world to pester them…here, it was just Rin and Len, and nobody else. Just brother and sister, playing their silly little games they didn't share nearly enough. Just her and her-

A wet cracking sound pumped through the entire house like a shockwave, stunning every person within the walls completely motionless like they'd been struck.

Rin stared down at her brother beneath her, eyes wide from shock, suddenly feeling a hundred times more cold than she had recalled ever feeling. Len stared right back, two sets of azure eyes locking in place and refusing to budge, looking all of a sudden like they had both been struck by a bolt of lightning. Len's face was beginning to turn pale; Rin's breaths were becoming so short and airless that they ceased entirely.

Time stood still.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Rin dreadfully began to slowly turn her head to the right, feeling something wet beginning to run between her fingers. When she saw where their hands had connected into a locking hold, she nearly fainted from the amount that her heart thrummed in her chest - she saw red. Lots of red. Red splattered onto her arm, red sprayed across her hand, red dribbling down Len's hand, red trickling down his arm…red oozing down the scythe of bone that had erupted through the back of his hand like a harpoon…

Nothing moved; nothing made a sound. Everything everywhere simultaneously froze like a big "Pause" button had been clicked, allowing Rin to stare straight at the appendage that, not a minute ago, hadn't existed. "…th….the…"

Now beginning to shiver as shock set in, Len's glazed eyes glimmered with something akin to laughter, a humorless smile tugging at the corners of his ashen lips. "W-wh…h-how'd that d-dream of yours go…a-again? H-h-heh…"

Rin didn't answer. She couldn't; it would be impossible for her to say anything at all while she opened her mouth wide and screamed as loud and hard as she could in the bone-chilling terror that suddenly ravaged her body like the front wind to a blizzard…

Waking up could protect Rin from the nightmares. But unlike in a dream, she'd never be able to wake up to escape from life.

* * *

**_AN:_**

Fufufufu...made you think everything was going to be alright, didn't I~? Denied! XD

Hehe. Alrighty, then: looks like this went from a oneshot to a true-blue story...or something like it, anyway. I dunno, you tell me: what's it seem like it's going for to you? Did it get your heart pounding? Am I in your head? I love it in your ears, but I'd much rather have your head, desu. Much cozier. x3

I don't know if I did too well with the ending, so let me know about that. It almost feels rushed.

Happy nightmare-apocalypse, everyone~! xD


End file.
